Wow - your imagination (and, I have to agree with Anthony, brilliance) never ceases to amaze me. I still haven't done anything about trying to put my hands on some matcha powder, so it is still an unfamiliar flavor, but this is absolutely beautiful!

I remember using a friend's cotton candy maker when I was little. Like the Easy Bake oven, that was a toy my mother would never have allowed in the house. In fact at least once we actually did use it at my house, but we were relegated to the garage!

hi bex! rather belatedly i realized i should've photographed it on afroken's head.

hi cathy--i remember a cotton candy machine somewhere in the neighbourhood when i was growing up. i definitely had more fun playing with that than the easy bake oven!

hi aggygloop--the 'fro is fierce!

hi reid! it was in the clearance aisle of a local toy store, but they had a couple other brands--this one, however, (by rose art) was the cheapest even when not on sale, and the only one with a splash guard. it gets dismal reviews, but it worked okay for me. kb toys has it for sale for $24, and amazon has it for $27.

hi j--i absolutely *love* mariage freres estate darjeelings as well. i'm trying to wean myself off of caffeine, but i reckon a good cuppa is called for everyone now and again :)

hi moira! mad props to you as well, sistah.

hi makan kings--this was on sale for $20, but its original price is $27. there are other brands that are more expensive, but i don't know if they work any better than this one. i hear nostalgia brand cotton candy maker works well, but it's about $40. it's easy to use, but you're not going to get that high of a yield off of it. still, it's fun!

hi boo! the rose petals turned out much better than i expected, but i think it's because there was so much bergamot oil in the tea i used (chado earl grey imperial). i'd like to try the tea with the rose petals in it next time.

hi violet! never let me loose in a toy store :D

hi jennifer! this was so much fun to do, even if it didn't turn out, i would've blogged about it anyway!

hi saffron! the matcha doesn't quite melt in your mouth, so when you eat it, the sugar melts all caramelly, followed by a mild green tea taste. i have to admit the first bites were absolutely addictive, then i remembered i was eating pure sugar, so i don't know if it was the utter sweetness or the utter badness that made me stop eating it! the rose petals went nicely with it, just a hint of bergamot and rose. and a lot more sugar....

hi big bok! now that i've made a $20 investment in a cotton candy machine, i'm almost tempted to come up with more flavours for imbb. i can't wait for a chicken challenge--fried chicken flavour cotton candy floss, anyone? ;P

Two words for you: PURE GENIUS! Cotton candy hasn't entered my food vocabulary since I was about six, and now I'm thinking I have a lot of lost time to make up for. I wouldn't be surprised if you've just started the next 'big thing'...

hi midge--i was surprised with how well the green tea was suited to cotton candy. i hadn't had cotton candy in like, um, decades, maybe? hey that stuff's good!

hi elise! i was surprised to see so many cotton candy machines for home use on the market. jacques torres has a recipe for handmade cotton candy which doesn't sound awful to do, but i'm rather glad i found a cheap machine.

hi melissa! :D i remember seeing there was some high end restaurant in new york that regularly serves cotton candy to its guests (i'm guessing it's le cirque--doesn't that mean "the circus"?), so if they haven't sparked the trend, i doubt this will. but it sure is purdy!

hi yoony! do visit! i'll make you some cotton candy :)

hi barbara! it was fun. i think, though, a modicum of patience is needed because it took over ten minutes to get this pile. a better machine would yield higher quantities, i imagine. i also imagine this might be an interesting way to end a meal, like the whole fondue/chocolate fountain food-as-entertainment thing.

hi clare--it is! i stared at it for a long while before i ate it because it was just so funky looking. i couldn't believe the machine worked, too!

here's jacques torres' recipe which doesn't use a machine. i'm surprised my laziness won out over the sheer scrapheap challenge/junkyard wars genius of the instructions--you'll need a pair of tin snippers, a cheap whisk, two dowels and a garbage bag. then with a lot of strange arm gestures you'll have fairy floss, or possibly an underwater rocket device :D

DISCLAIMER: this is a personal journal with no desires to be anything but. it contains my opinion with occasional fact thrown in; recipes have been tested where noted, in an unairconditioned kitchen in the tropics. YMMV. for my sake and yours, consult a professional!